Guys, I am looking for any replacement options for guide foot adhesive. I lost my stick and I'm broke. I'm putting a rod together a rod for myself with micro guides. Is there an alternative? Tape doesn't work very well. Anyone find alternatives? I will be buying some but for now I can't since I am temporarily out of work. Please help.
John

John,

You really don't even need the adhesive. Start your wrap as you normally would, make four turns around the blank and on the fifth revolution place the guide on the blank where you would like to position it. You will allow the foot of the guide to extend onto the previously wrapped four turns while allowing following turn to lock the guide down. After about 5-7 turns simply pull the guide towards the tip (if that is the direction you are wrapping) and finish wrapping. The wraps will easily cover over the foot and all should be well. It may take a bit of practice but once you get the hang of it, things will go very nicely for you.

I believe that Mr. Kirkman posted this previously.

Tom

If you like using the guide foot adhesive method a standard hot glue gun stick will work.

Elastic sewing thread $0.99 at Wal-mart, works well. Tie a strand around the blank, slide the guide under and position where you want and cut it off once you have the wrap started.

I couldn't make the elastic thread work. The Kaufman method works very well, better than anything else I've found. I would only add that I use more turns than he which will move the guide about 1/8 inch from its desired location unless the winding is started offset about 1/8 inch.

I tape them down with a thin piece of tape by the leg then tape a half of a popsicle stick behind the guide so it doesn't walk. I have zero issues with this method.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

The method that mr.Kaufmann described is a good one,just pay attention to prepare the guide foot to have a shallow taper..because if the climbing on the foot is too abrupt, too sudden due to a faulty preparation...when you will pull the guide in the correct position, the first loops on the foot will become loose almost everytime visible...and it does not loolks too good...but if the transiton to the foot is slow,after positioning the guide to pull the tip of the foot under the thread there will be no visible difference in tension of those first spirals.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2014 09:53AM by Mihalyfalvi Gabriel.

1. First of all, make sure that you use DNA to clean the blank.

2. Then, obtain 1/8th inch wide masking tape, or use a pair of scissors to make some narrow strips of tape without putting your fingers on the back of the tape.

3. When you use the tape, have a bunch of short pieces of tape that you have stuck down on a clean surface from a bit of one end. Be sure that you don't let your fingers touch the end of the tape that is stuck to the clean surface.

4. Then, when you go to use the tape, and tape the guides in place, be sure that you don't touch the end of the tape with your fingers. If you touch the end of the tape with your fingers that is going to first touch the blank, the skin oil from your fingers will plug up the adhesive and cause the masking tape to not stick to the rod blank.

5. Another thing that works very well are small dental elastic bands. If you happen to know any one who has dental braces, you may be able to obtain some small bands for no cost.

Slip on a number of bands on the rod blank from the tip down - so that there are spare bands on the blank. Then, just simply slip a guide under the band and adjust it as you need.

Be safe

When I first tried the elastic thread it didn't work very well for me. I then tried wrapping the thread around the blank & guide 3 or 4 times and tying a square knot on the bottom side opposite of the guide. It works great. I wrap up to the elastic thread then take a razor blade and cut off the elastic thread and continue wrapping the guide. I really like using the elastic thread when static loading then blank. It make it pretty simple to add a micro guide if necessary and adjusting the guide into their optimum position. Don't give up on it.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

You can also try wrapping backwards. Put three turns in front of the guide, as a stop. Next use three turns as a locking wrap, then continue down the guide foot and tie off. This way the guide is locked in place before you start wrapping the foot.

If you haven't tried method mentioned by Kaufman, take the time to try it. I have tried narrow tape, surgical tubing, elastic thread, adhesive, those little bands for tooth-straightening braces, and none has worked as well as his method. I'll try the Thornton method; sounds very good. But unless each locking wrap turn includes a turn around the blank, it will be no stronger than one turn. Right? Because the "anchor" will be one turn.

Here is one I heard at the show. Wrap from in front of the guide post down to cover the foot. Line everything up, do your testing etc. then put a final wrap from the bottom as you would normally wrap including a locking and blocking wrap. The guys at Anglers Resource showed me this one.

I always have used hot glue as well. Heat the guide foot, touch to glue stick and place on blank. Watch the fingers...can get hot.

Another good source for elastic bands is RC Car fuel lines. Have had pretty good luck with those in the past too.

Michael,
When I use the locking wrap, I make a wrap beyound the guide, then a wrap around the guide. Then a 2nd wrap around the rod and a 2nd wrap around the guide. So all of the locking wraps that I use contain a double wrap around the vertical guide foot.

Be safe

I went back at it today, and found the easiest, most reliable method for me to be (nothing, IMHO, is bullet-proof) :

Tie a tight double loop of elastic thread onto the blank. It has to be tight to keep the guide from sliding when you start to wrap up the taper of the foot. (My past problems with elastic thread came from my trying to tie the thread around the foot of the guide and the blank-couldn't control the guide while tying)
Stick a bodkin under the thread to provide a little clearance for the foot of the guide to be inserted.
The bodkin and the blank provide a small gap between them. Slide the foot of the guide into that gap, then adjust its position to conform to where you want the final position of the guide to be.
Wrap toward the foot, then up the foot.
It helps to dress the foot with a dremel tool to provide texture across the foot of the guide to minimize the tendency for the guide to slide away from the winding.

I don't like tape because the blue tape is not sticky enough, and the regular masking tape, even premium grades, often leaves residue on the blank.

Question for Andy, after sticking the guide to the blank, can you adjust its position if you didn't align it perfectly when you placed it?

Michael,

I have had no truble adjusting after the fact, it's really a small about of glue that ends up on them so as soon as you get the guide wrapped a little pressure breaks the glue and slides normally.

small electrical heat shrink you buy at home depot or lowes. very small diameters fit nicely on small blanks with micro guides. i cut little pieces of the tube and keep them in a drawer on my bench, when i do small/micro guides, i slide a small piece of shrink down the blank and put the guide foot under. done. no knot tying, no glue, etc. IMO the easiest way to do it.